Grace Williams Music Manuscripts,

Musical manuscripts of the composer Grace Williams, [1928]-1992, including orchestral scores of her works, [1932]-1973, concertos for solo instruments and orchestra, 1950-1973; scripts and scores for narrator and orchestra, 1946-1963; incidental and chamber music scores, [1930s]-1970; choral music scores [1928]-1975; film and incidental music, 1948-1970; personal and miscellaneous papers, 1826-1936; and poetry by Vivien Cutting, 1947-[1967]; note on the papers, by A. J. Heward Rees, 1997.

Grace Williams (1906-1977), composer, from Barry, Glamorgan, studied music at University College, Cardiff, the Royal College of Music in London, with Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gordon Jacob, and in Vienna with the composer Egon Wellesz. She became a teacher at Camden School for Girls, as well as a visiting lecture at Southlands College of Education. After the Second World War she worked for the Schools Department of the BBC until retiring due to ill health in 1947. S he became a part-time member of staff at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. She wrote songs, arrangements and incidental music, often as commissions. In 1966, she was awarded the John Edwards Memorial Prize. She died in 1977. She was a close friend of Vivien Cutting, teacher and poet, a fellow-teacher at Southlands College, Wimbledon Park. Her papers passed to her sister, Mrs Marian Glyn Evans.

Arranged at NLW by type and date.

Readers consulting modern papers in the National Library of Wales are required to sign the 'Modern papers - data protection' form.

Deposited by Mrs Marian Glyn Evans between 1987 and 1997.

Grace Williams (1906-1977), composer, from Barry, Glamorgan, studied music at University College, Cardiff, the Royal College of Music in London, with Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gordon Jacob, and in Vienna with the composer Egon Wellesz. She became a teacher at Camden School for Girls, as well as a visiting lecture at Southlands College of Education. After the Second World War she worked for the Schools Department of the BBC until retiring due to ill health in 1947. S he became a part-time member of staff at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. She wrote songs, arrangements and incidental music, often as commissions. In 1966, she was awarded the John Edwards Memorial Prize. She died in 1977. She was a close friend of Vivien Cutting, teacher and poet, a fellow-teacher at Southlands College, Wimbledon Park. Her papers passed to her sister, Mrs Marian Glyn Evans.

Title supplied from contents of fonds. The fonds contains some earlier papers collected by Grace Williams pre-dating her birth, and notes on the papers added after her death.

A hard copy of the catalogue is available at the National Library of Wales.

April 2003

Compiled by Annette Strauch for the ANW project. The following sources were used in the compilation of the description: NLW, Schedule of Grace Williams Musical Manuscripts; Stevens Meic (ed.), The Arts in Wales (Welsh Arts Council, 1979). A bibliography and list of recordings can be found in Boyd, Malcom, Grace Williams (Cardiff, 1996);

Usual copyright regulations apply.

Action: All records have been retained.

Some of the papers were held at the Welsh Music Information Centre, University College, Cardiff.

Accruals are not expected.

Further papers of Grace Williams are in NLW, Guild for the Promotion of Welsh Music Papers.

Published

Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru = The National Library of Wales